Cranberry Sauce
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Ready in 15 minutes with just five ingredients, this homemade cranberry sauce is brighter, fresher, and infinitely better than anything from a can.
I’ll admit, the jiggly, can-shaped cranberry sauce has a certain nostalgic charm, but homemade cranberry sauce is truly in a league of its own—and it’s so easy to make! Simply boil fresh or frozen cranberries with sugar, water, orange juice and zest, and in just 15 minutes, you’ll have a sauce bursting with bright, sweet flavors.
The best part? It’s a true make-ahead dish. This cranberry sauce recipe keeps beautifully in the fridge for up to 10 days or in the freezer for two months, so you can knock it out well before the Thanksgiving rush and forget about it until you need it.
Serve it up alongside your favorite Thanksgiving turkey and turkey gravy—or check out my best Thanksgiving side dishes for more ideas to round out the table. Then give your post-feast turkey sandwiches a gourmet twist by mixing the leftover sauce with mayo for an irresistibly delicious spread.
“This is my go-to cranberry sauce…I am now passing it on to my children and grandchildren. A treasured family recipe.”
What You’ll Need To Make Homemade Cranberry Sauce
- Fresh or frozen cranberries: Fresh are ideal when in season (roughly October through December), but frozen works just as well and doesn’t need thawing first; just add them straight to the pot. Avoid dried cranberries here; they won’t break down the same way and will throw off the sauce’s texture entirely.
- Orange juice and zest: Juice adds sweetness and flavor that balances the cranberries’ natural tartness, while the zest layers in a more concentrated orange flavor that juice alone can’t provide.
- Sugar: Cranberries are extremely tart, so sugar is needed to balance the flavor.
- Water: Helps dissolve the sugar and gives the cranberries room to boil and burst without scorching.
- Salt: Just a pinch, but it rounds out the sweetness and keeps the sauce from tasting flat.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
How To Make Homemade Cranberry Sauce
Step 1: Zest and juice the oranges. Start by zesting one of the oranges. A rasp grater works best, but any fine grater will do. Just avoid the white pith, which can be bitter, and always zest before juicing; once the orange is squeezed, there’s no going back!
Step 2: Start the sauce. Heat the orange juice, water, and sugar until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is bubbling, then add the cranberries, zest, and salt.
Step 3: Cook until the berries burst. As the cranberries cook, they’ll begin to pop and release their juices, turning the mixture into a ruby-red sauce. After about 10 minutes, most should be burst, though leaving a few whole gives the sauce nice texture.
Step 4: Finish and store. Once most of the cranberries have burst, mash them lightly with a spoon to reach your desired texture—more mashing for a smoother, jammier sauce, less for a chunkier one. The sauce will look looser than you might expect when it comes off the heat. It thickens considerably as it cools and even more once refrigerated.
Pro Tip: The sauce needs at least 2 hours in the fridge to fully set, so if you’re serving it same-day, make it first thing in the morning—or better yet, the day before.
Cranberry Sauce Variations
Cinnamon-Orange: Add a cinnamon stick along with the cranberries and remove it before serving, for a warm, spiced version that pairs beautifully with turkey.
Cranberry-Apple: Stir in one peeled, diced apple during the last 5 minutes of cooking for extra body and a natural sweetness boost.
Cranberry-Walnut or Pecan: Fold in ½ cup toasted, chopped nuts after the sauce has finished cooking, for crunch and richness.
Boozy Cranberry Sauce: Stir in a splash of port, bourbon, or orange liqueur once the sauce is off the heat, for a warm, grown-up kick.
“For the fun of it I added in some Fireball whiskey. The cinnamon flavor was good.”
Video Tutorial
More Cranberry Recipes You’ll Love
Cranberry Sauce
Ingredients
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup fresh orange juice, from two oranges
- ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 (12-oz) bag fresh or frozen cranberries (do not use dried)
- Zest of one orange, about 2 teaspoons
- Pinch salt
Instructions
- In a medium sauce pan over high heat, bring the water, orange juice, and sugar to a boil. Add the cranberries, orange zest, and salt and return to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and boil gently for 10 to 12 minutes, until most of cranberries have burst open. (You may need to mash them a bit with a spoon.)
- Transfer the sauce to a serving bowl. Cover and chill until ready to serve.
Notes
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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An excellent cranberry sauce recipe, although I added about a half teaspoon of vanilla to it.
I have been making this as part of our traditional Thanksgiving dinner for several years. My family (we have about 40) enjoyed it so much the next year I doubled the recipe. Also it is a great topping on turkey sandwiches.
This is the BEST Cranberry Sauce! The orange juice makes it perfect! The only recipe I use!
Can you add some sugar and can it? I’m looking for a good spiced orange cranberry jam to eat year long.
First time making cranberry sauce. Turned out great!
I did make this cranberry sauce for the holidays . I absolutely loved the orange added to it. I still had some left and debated whether to freeze it or heat it up and can it, but then decided to look for muffin recipes using leftover cranberry sauce. Tried 2 different ones and it was excellent in both muffins
Hi
I made this cranberry relish for a turkey i cooked recently. Minus the nuts as to family member restriction. We loved it and will be a regular from now on. I also like to serve with chicken or pork so is a great addition to my meal planning.we used maple syrup that my son collected and made so it was extra special. How Canadian! Cranberries from cranberry farm in Bala Ontario🍁
This was the first Once Upon a Chef recipe I tried, and it is what everyone asks me to bring now to Thanksgiving dinner. I have used it with bottled orange juice as well in a pinch, and it is still delicious.
I’m wondering how many days before Thanksgiving I can make this. And, if I make it way in advance, does it freeze well? TY!
Hi Helene, This will keep for 10 days in a covered container in the refrigerator. It can also be frozen for up to two months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before using. Enjoy!
How much salt and what kind
Hi Karen you’ll need just a pinch of salt (you really don’t need to get too specific with it, but if you want to measure it, it should fill about half of a 1/8 teaspoon. And you just need table salt for this. When a recipe of mine says salt in the ingredient list, I am referring to regular/table salt. If it calls for something else like kosher salt, I will specify that in the recipe. Hope that helps!
I made this today and it tastes amazing! However, I have a lot of seeds in the sauce. What did I do wrong? Did I boil it too high or too long?
Hmmm, I’m guessing a bit too long. If it’s too thick you can thin it with a bit of water.
Best Sauce Ever!
My family has me make this every season now. I’ve also had great luck with a bit of coriander added.
Loved it, I added 3 tbs of nice red wine and it took the bite out of it and added a mellow flavor
This is one of the few recipes I have physically printed out & put in my “mom’s go-to recipes binder”. I’ve made it for Thanksgiving two years in a row. It consistently converts “canned cranberry sauce” purists to the far more delicious fresh cranberry sauce team. I have always been partial to orange in my cranberry sauce, and this is a divine combo of zest & juice. Seriously, this your recipe is permanently a part of my family’s Thanksgiving dinner table, and they all just think *I* make a really good cranberry sauce… but I have you to thank. 🙂 So, THANK YOU!!!
Could I add some Jalapeño for a spicy sweet sauce ? If so, how much?
Love your recipes!!
Sure and the amount of jalapeno really depends on how much heat you want. I may try 1/2 to 1. Keep in mind that most of the heat comes from the ribs and seeds. I’d love to hear how it turns out!